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Savoy Group books Pentagram

The Savoy Group is spending 500 000 on new identities by Pentagram for four legendary London hotels, as part of a 62m “enhancement” project.

The Savoy, Claridge’s, The Connaught and The Berkeley will each have a new identity designed by Pentagram partner John Rushworth. No interiors consultancy is involved, because the project is “restoration rather than redesign”, according to a spokeswoman.

She adds, however, that Viscount Linley and home furnishing specialist Nina Campbell are also involved.

Rushworth reveals that Pentagram was “poached” by Savoy Group managing director Ramon Pajares, who had worked with the consultancy when he was the general manager at London’s Four Seasons Hotel.

According to Pajares, three consultancies joined in an unpaid creative pitch for the job, offering “drawings and models”. Rushworth denies this: “We had to demonstrate our ideas, and showed cuttings from magazines. It certainly wasn’t creative.”

Pentagram will also redesign The Savoy Group logo. It will be “repositioned using existing elements”, says Rushworth. The main focus is the “personality” of each hotel.

The four current identities feature “various logos produced in-house in a haphazard fashion”, according to Rushworth. He has identified a core element from each hotel: “For example, people remember the lettering on The Savoy’s canopy, so we’ll use that: the same goes for The Berkeley.”

The Claridge’s logo will feature its original coat of arms. The Connaught’s new logo will be an original Baskerville cut.